Firefly Glen the warm sunlight on my skin.

set for like yesterday? to my kiddos: gonna assume all puppies are present, while I encourage yall to post you can also just cameo or not post at all, whatever works best for yalls availability : ) @Xiaoqing @Haoming @Luli @Hydra

 

That morning Huā took her kids to the glen for a puppy playdate with Hydra. Reasonably assuming they agreed to it at some point in their last ongoing thread, they'd decided to such a thing once the water was lower, and thus safer to meet. Now the rains had ceased, and soon Yuèlóng would go home. Today was a better day than any for the rendezvous, and not only to ensure their children would bond- but to tell Hydra all the new things she had learned from the spy Praimfaya. Once in the glen, she let out a song summoning Hydra to meet her with the children when she was ready.

Home. After a long and trying within Neverwinter Forest, home seemed like a distant possibility. Her mother had mentioned on more than one occasion that they would return to their island soon, but Huā's concept of "soon" seemed vastly different from Luli's. The koi longed for the familiarity of her birthplace, the taste of sea salt in the air, and the feel of dry sand beneath her paws.

Despite her inner turmoil, the littlest sea dragon did not complain. Luli carried on the best she could, with feigned smiles and silent reluctance. She did not deviate from this approach when her dam gathered the cubs to venture beyond their woodland shelter to acquaint with more friends from beyond their own pack, and padded along obediently after her siblings into the glen.

Xiaoqing was not the most sociable boy, not when it came to those outside of his immediate family; he treasured his sisters and mother both but, those beyond them, seemed strange to him. So when they were gathered to go out and meet with others—those he knew nothing of—the boy was nervous, to say the least. He stuck close to his mother’s heels, following obediently whilst retaining his caution, heart thumping in his chest all the while.

This was dumb. All of it. Haoming didn't wanna go meet other puppies. Her shoulders were squared as she walked, her fur bristled and her maw set into a deep frown. Didn't they have enough wolves at home to bother her? Why was she being forced to spend time with more of them? It made absolutely no sense at all. 

Still, she complied, resigning herself to her fate. She'd be... decent. At the very least, she wouldn't maul anyone.

She wouldn't have stayed away, regardless, if her siblings were there. Who better to protect them from these strangers? Haoming glanced over to Hua, trusting her mother to keep them safe as well.

same, assuming all the kiddos are present here; if y'all aren't okay with that ping me!

 

She had told her children that there were others to meet. Behave yourselves, she demanded of @Altair, @Caelum, @Mira and @Mintaka as they journeyed toward the Glen, do not disappoint me. Her gaze cast upon her cubs; they knew of the variety of ways this was possible to do, and thus far they had done a decent job at not doing so. It was her confidence in them that allowed her to travel with them to the Glen, now—how would they act, when not upon the mountain terrain? She would monitor this, and decide how ready they were for greater independence than this. @Alya lurked in the backdrop in case one should stray this day, monitoring the cubs that were surely excited for a trip to the Glen. Now, the earth was not so sodden and terrible that she feared for their safety or being swept away by some errant stream that had not been here before.

Ahead, she saw the Empress of Yuélóng; her stride lengthened to bridge the gap between them, family in tow. Her ears swept forward as she caught sight of the womans own cubs, interest apparent in her gaze. Chuffing in greeting to announce her approach should she not have been heard otherwise, Hydra looked to her children for a moment, encouraging them forward—once they did so, she would introduce them to the darkheaded woman and her young, and Hydra waited for the same.

Caelum did not entirely understand what they were here to do, or who these wolves were, as they made their way into the Glen. He had not been outside of Moonspear before, so this was new to him, and while he was cool on the outside, inside his head it was a turmoil of thoughts and stimulations at everything that he saw all around him.

The dark child scanned the other pups as they arrived -- a boy, a girl, and a beauty. As his striking gold eyes fell onto Haoming he felt a strange twinge in his stomach that he could not place, and his gaze lingered just too uncomfortably long while he waited by his mother's side for permission to go and greet her.

sorry my this reply is late sgafzfzxzc feel free to tweak if ya need or not idc 

 

nüwu lingered awkwardly behind her mother's willowy dark legs, more shy than ever before. meeting wolves outside of her home seemed okay, but somehow the prospect of her mother arranging this meeting, and bringing them along to it, caused her some unrest she didn't understand. the expectations of her were unknown- but she did not think mama would make them meet other puppies if it wasn't something important. the sandy girl nearly hid as she awaited the strangers arrival, and shrunk upon seeing the foreign band- a pitch black wolf even larger than mama, and several other children. nüwu peeked out to eye altair for a moment, intrigued that he was the only one of warm colors like their family- and then her gaze settled on caelum curiously. she frowned slightly, shifting her paws and letting her gaze fall as nervous butterflies danced in her stomach.

These days, Mira's heaviest concerns lied in the potential of disappointing Mother. 

Hydra would not have to ask it of her: Mira was a cruel little devil child, but she could easily behave where necessary, falling cleanly into the row in which she belonged. When they arrived, Mira's gaze swept almost judgementally across the little stick-and-bones woman Mother had brought them to meet the children of. She did not look like Mira's vision of strength. 

Then toxic yellow fell to the other children. An unremarkable boy, an unremarkable girl. One girl who looked especially grumpy, to which Mira wondered why- and a final girl, whose coloration was quite unique. Mira's gaze brushed over her like any other, but Luli left a more memorable impact on her than her siblings. 

Still, the dust grey and black girl's expression was intriguing... Mira did not wish to think of it as disrespect. When Mother looked to her children to encourage them forward, that was signal enough for the black serpent. There was little hesitance as she moved forward, immediately heading to Haoming rather confidently with the interest of familiarizing herself with her scent- perhaps, she thought, that might provide some insight to her expression.

So this was the world outside the glen—it really wasn’t all that different than the forests he had grown up in. Of course, the terrain here was much flatter than he had expected, though the rolling path out to the glen did have its ups and downs. For once in his life Altair was rendered silent, and that silence continued to linger even after they had reached the meeting point.

At first wedged in the white space between Mira and Caelum, his hackles had subtly stood upright. He couldn’t help but be standoffish at the sight of unfamiliar faces. These kids and their mother weren’t like his cousins and aunt, though one looked about as sour in the face as Mira often did. The others seemed to cower and seem just as uncertain of them as they were in return, though there wasn’t really any cowering going on by the Ostrega quartet. At least they seemed to all be about the same age, and Altair thought that boded well for them.

When it came time to meet, though, he did not immediately share Mira’s urgency to go right on over. He was cowed into following her at least part of the way before that standoffish feeling got the better of him. His skin prickled with an unknown sensation akin to over-stimulation; his nose worked furiously to take in everything he could. He peered back to his mother for a moment before looking forward again, this time settling his gaze on @Luli curiously. She seemed all right, for a girl.

But just as quickly as he took notice of her, he felt eyes lingering on him and abandoned the idea of approaching her to find who had fixated on him. @Nǚwū captured his attention then and he seized the opportunity to approach her instead, stopping short of her to test the air between them from afar with a gentle wave of his tail. Was this a friend, then?

Today was a beautiful day. They got to go out of the territory, and got to meet new friends! The ground was so soft and nice and it was sunny and everything was perfect. Excitement made her fur puff up and her eyes wide and she simply couldn't wait to get to go and meet these new puppies. 

New friends were always exciting, and Mintaka didn't really have any outside of family. So this was probably the best day of her life. 

Do not disappoint me. Pshhhhh. Mintaka would never do such a thing. 

What she would do, however, was walk straight up to the three puppies that seemed not-angry (that one girl with the odd eyes looked far too grumpy to approach) and offered them a bright smile. "Hi! I'm Minty. I won't hurt you," she vowed, tail wagging so hard that it was thumping against her flanks.

boo I suck! but let's say rounds starting with me, no posting order? and I'll just wait for everyone to get a post in, unless you message in #ic-conflicts maybe to tell us we can skip ya? lmk if anyone has problem w this :D

Hydra arrived soon enough, cute kiddos in tow, and Huā smiled upon the both of them before bowing her chin to the queen of the wilderness. She rose again, and while the children began to mingle she would gesture to them each in turn with her dark muzzle (for Hydra's benefit firstly, but the children might hear those names too if they listened,) I have three daughters- Luli, Nüwu, and Haoming- That second and third's father being a little too obvious, And one son, Xiaoqing. She huffed a breath of laughter from her nose when she looked upon her litter, and saw how shy they were in comparison to Hydra's bolder children. Caelum waited for direction, but Mira, Mintaka, and Altair were not so hesitant, and Huā wondered if this meant the dark boy was most obedient or most afraid. The empress was further amused by the silvery cub who introduced herself as 'Minty'- such a name seemed so lighthearted that Huā wondered if Hydra had chosen it this way, or was it a childish nickname instead? Though the Ostrega kids were bold, Huā would not shelter her own from them when they were not hurting them. If any cubs remained behind her legs quaking with nervousness, this was the first time they might felt betrayed by their mother, as she stepped away and would serve as their shield no longer. Swiftly they were growing, and if ever they made a connection with the Ostrega cubs (which she would dearly hope for,) they would need a greater bravery. Shy daughters were great so long as they were not too shy to gain husbands. As she made her way away from her litter and to the nearby Hydra's side, she came to settle there, listening to see if she might introduce her own before speaking up again. I hope Moonspear has been well. Yuèlóng is at the end of our time staying with Neverwinter- which had not gone so smooth as I planned, but ah, I will... tell you in a moment. Do you have any news to share? News or not, or plans, or gossip, Huā was an oyster for it all with perked ears to her companion.

No posting order, you say? 0:)

This was by far the worst thing Hua had ever had them do. Just about on par with going to Neverwinter Forest in the first place, though Haoming understood that better. It was preferable to drowning on the island, after all... but it certainly wasn't like this. Forced interaction with cubs that were bigger than them - or at least, bigger than Haoming and Luli for sure. She couldn't tell about Nuwu and Xiaoqing. 

Two sets of golden eyes fixed on her - the solid black pups with the bigger woman, with eyes that looked like full moons setting in their dark faces. Her fur bristled as the girl approached her, and she fought not to take a step back. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that two other children had approached her siblings, and her head snapped over to watch them, glancing between them and Hua and back to Mira again. She'd have to... to trust Hua to take care of them right now. The other pups didn't seem like they were going to hurt her siblings, so she'd have to show them that this wasn't dangerous. They were scared, so they needed to know that it was okay. 

And who better to show them than Haoming?

Odd-colored eyes fixed on Mira's gold and she swallowed down the lump in her throat, stepping forward to greet her. "I-I am Hao-Haoming," she announced, ears swiveling just slightly and stutter a bit more pronounced. Nervous, worried, but... she was trying. A glance was sent to the other boy with the golden eyes - and boy was it unnerving to be on the receiving end of that stare. "You are... st-staring. I w-won't bite you." At least, not right away. Maybe he was just too scared to come say hi. After all, her siblings were all huddled by Hua's feet still. 

Maybe her littermates would realize this was okay, too. Maybe Hua would be proud of her. She was being extra brave and extra nice here, after all, offering to take on conversation with two of these strangers.

When her mother's attention was at last drawn to the movement of another, Luli turned her dappled crown to follow her sea glass stare. She gaze out across the glen, curious but undoubtedly anxious of the dark figure that picked it's way across the clearing toward her family. In typical Luli fashion, the koi ducked her pale tail and crept closer to her dam to seek comfort in her proximity. 

The raveness did not arrive alone. At her heels came a quartet: black, gold and silver. Luli stared toward the strange cubs with wide-eyed wonder, intrigued but fearful, focus trained entirely on the Ostrega quarter even as Huā offered introduction on her children's behalf.

Real terror gripped her when the Empress stepped away, revealing young Luli to be stared at. At once she shrunk a little further, even more so as the ashen-furred girl strode forward boldly to greet them. "Hi," she managed to return in a pitiful little voice, well aware that these pups were in no way threatening to her but unable to shake the fear of exposure.

Caelum watched as his sister strode forward towards the object of his interest. He expected their mother to introduce them, too, so he waited for that to happen. However, as she introduced herself as Hao-Haoming -- a strange but exotically beautiful name -- Caelum shot a quick glance in his mother's direction and then decided to join his sister's side. Especially after Haoming said that he was staring and that she wouldn't bite. He would not want her to think that he was shy, because he wasn't at all. He was brave, he just also was a good boy and thought that they should wait until their mother authorised this event.

Things seemed to be rather chaotic though, and so he stepped forward to join by Mira's side. He glanced briefly towards the shy girl hiding behind her mother as she greeted, but without a greeting in return he then stepped towards Haoming. He'd totally missed that her mother had introduced her as just Haoming, so he thought that her name was an oddly stumbled over Hao-Haoming. I'm Caelum, he said as he boldly stepped forward. Aaaand that was pretty much where his inspiration for conversation ended. Having nothing else to say but the truth, Caelum continued to stare at Haoming's face as he said: You are beautiful, Hao-Haoming. Probably the most that Caelum had ever said to anyone unprompted. He stumbled over her name a bit as he tried to pronounce it exactly the way she had, while lacking the finesse of tongue to do so.

the first child nüwu noticed when mama stepped away was altair, considering he came towards her in particular- but minty, as she called herself, commanded attention too. the sandy girl thought she stood out from her quiet siblings until caelum spoke up, calling haoming beautiful- and nüwu glanced to them, eyes widening slightly. that was a little... odd. was it how they greeted eachother here? nüwu was quiet for a moment begore looking to minty. hi, minty. i am nüwu jiang. her gaze flicked to the warm colored boy who was close to her, too. she leaned out to sniff slightly and catch his scent. um, you are both um... handsome... or pretty. she murmured, trying to fit in with what she believed was their culture before dipping her head in a small bow to them, still feeling shy.

Hao-haoming. Hello, Mira acknowledged in a breath, I am Mira Ostrega. What came next? She was silent for a moment until her brother piped up with his comment; she paid him a quizzical glance. Haoming was unique, certainly- strange colored and quirky- but beautiful? But Mira was no one to understand beauty, and she was quiet. Haoming smelled like saltwater, which was unfamiliar to the serpent. She squinted, and soon her gaze trailed boredly back to the pale runt, who she thought was far more eye-catching. Mira fixated on her quietly.

Mira, Mintaka, Caelum, and Altair, she introduced to the family, gesturing to each of them in turn. Oh, news a plenty, she hummed, though I will of course hear yours first, she drawled, smiling warmly in invitation. Watching the children together endeared her; she wanted to hear how her friend had fared in Neverwinter, though was momentarily distracted by the children. Caelum, her polite son, was ever the gentleman. She leaned toward Hua to compliment him (and her friends daughter, too) in her ear, he is quite astute, is he not? 

How sweet this was! Mira, Caelum, she hummed, why not suggest a game you all might play? she prompted, Mintaka, Altair—have you any to suggest? Tug-o-war, tag, sparring—they knew several, and once their activity went underway, she and her friend could speak in peace.

gonna keep this moving : )

 天啊! She gasped at Caelum's direct comment, and then laughed, Yes, a respectful and bold boy. I am sure he would grow into a kind and confident man, Huā assessed suddenly in a quiet whisper to her friend, smiling. Hydra invited Huā share the news- and her attention diverted then from the children, focusing now on explaining everything in a volume too low for the kids to hear. I visited with Praimfaya again. She became a spy in the Saints, and tell me everything- the woman who lead beside Donovan is dead, replaced by a 'Derg', a man she says obeys Donovan like puppy. The wolfdog is a... sex addict. Praimfaya says he gathers member by, uh, sexing them. She probably hadn't said that right, but furrowed her brows and continued. I think you will be interest in this part: she says they have an ally. Ursus, lead by Merrick and an ebony woman. Is this not the man and his girl, who you told us about so long ago on the beach? She said their meeting seemed to be... Saints promising their loyalty to Ursus, expecting nothing in return. Huā shrugged mildly. I also have a young member, Hide- a blind boy. He was kidnapped for a week or two- and came back to us recently, from the Saints. They assaulted and stole a blind and innocent yearling! Emotion ripped through her voice and that part, and she huffed with a shake of her head, looking up to the Queen again. Monsters, they are. But I want to know your news too, whether happy or bad. And she was calm and composed again, gathering her emotion back within her.

Her seaglass gaze flit from cub to cub: two dark faces, one kissed with gold and one made of soft silvers. Each strong and confident, curiosity in their bright eyes while anxiety glimmered clearly in her own. 

She remained silent as she usually did in uncomfortable situations, and her breath hitched upon finding a sharp yellow stare on her. Luli blinked up nervously at the raveness, Mira she'd heard her say, and at once let her mismatched ears splayed backward in automatic submission.